Process of producing alpha wrapping, dressing, or similar article



Patented Oct. 25, I 1932 SAMUEL ROSENBLATT, OF BRIGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR TO SURGICAL DRESSINGS, INC., OF JAMAICA CHUSETTS PLAIN,MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- IPROCESS OF PRODUCING A WRAPPING,DRESSING, OR SIMILAR ARTICLE No Drawing. Original application filedFebruary 19, 1932, Serial No. 593,969. Divided and this applicationfiled June 13, 1932.

This invention involves the method or process of producing a wrappmg,dressing, or

other similar article from relatively thin, pure, crude rubber to causethe article to possess highly retentively certain characteristicshereinafter set forth. By reason of these characteristics the articleproduced by the method or process of this invention is peculiarlyadapted for a surgical wrapping or dressing and has a wide range of usein the medical profession, in the treatment of an animal body andparticularly of the human body, which enables it to eliminate thedisadvantages of surgical wrappings and bandages heretofore in use andfor other purposes.

The method or process of this invention, however, produces an articlewhich by reason of its characteristics has a wide range of use outsideof the surgical field. It may be used in a wide variety of occupationsto protect the fingers or other portions of the body against abrasion,cuts, or other injury to the skin. Thus, for example, it may be usedprotectively by workers in various arts, by sportsmen, athletes andothers. It may be employed for the treatment of injuries to, or for theprotection against injuries of, animals It is highly sanitary andresistant to any of the substances to which rubber is resistant. Infact, it has a wide range of usefulness. v

The object of the invention is, therefore, to produce an article havingthe prescribed characteristics hereinafter set forth and available forthe uses hereinbefore set forth.

The nature and objects of the invention will appear more fully from theaccompanying description and will be particularly pointed out in theclaims.

The present application is a continuation in part of my pendingapplication, Serial No. 509,670, filed January 19, 1931, and theinvention is further disclosed in my pending application, Serial No.593,969, filed February 19, 1932,.of which the present is a division.

The process of this invention is employed in the treatment of a sheet orstrip of pure crude rubber.

The basis of the article produced by this invention is a sheet or stripof pure crude rub Serial no. 617,049.

ber. By the term crude is meant that th rubber as it occurs in naturehas not had added to or mixed with it any ingredients such as requiredfor compounding or vulcanizing or for other purposes which wouldadulterate the rubber or tend to render it unfit for the uses describedor Where surgical or other morbid'conditions prevail, and by pure ismeant that the rubber has been produced as free from foreign matter asordinary commercial conditions permit. A high quality of naturalcommercial coagulated latex in the creped form which is well kn own onthe market as thin pale crepe is the best example at present known ofthe pure crude rubber which may be utilized in the practice of thisprocess.

The sheet or strip of pure crude rubber is treated in accordance withthe process of this invention to insure that it shall possess and retainto a high degree the following characteristics, first, non-adherence tohair or skin, second, great elastic extensibility, third, suflicientporosity to permit the passage of air therethrough, and, fourth,tenacious cohesion when pressed together. Preferably also as a stillfurther feature of the invention, this pure crude rubber is treated toinsure that it possess and retain to a high degree the characteristicof, fifth, sterility.

No other Wrapping, dressing, or other article is known highlyretentively to possess thesecharacteristics. By highly retentively ismeant that these essential characteristics shall be continued to bepossessed by the article throughout any reasonable period required forcommercially supplying it and its application and use. Tests havedemonstrated that the required characteristics are retained for a periodof two years, which is ample for this purpose.

The characteristic of non-adherence to hair or skin is self-explanatory.While pure crude rubber possesses this characteristic, the process ofthis invention retains it fully while developing the other desiredcharacteristics. An article of this invention may be applied to and heldunder tension or presi sure against the hair or skin of the body for anindefinite period without adhering thereto. This is of great importanceas it enables the article to be applied and removed Without thedifficulty and pain which characterized the use of adhesive tapes andbandages generally employed and as it enables thearticle to be appliedand removed without first removing hair from the afflicted afliictedpart of the body and because it enables it to be molded or fitted to thepart of the body or to any application or device employed in connectiontherewith. By great elastic extensibility is meant that I the article,as in the case of a Wrapping or bandage, shall be capable of extensionto at least three times its length and when its use is terminated, thatit shall return approximately to its normal length. Thus any desireddegree of tension and subsequently of pressure on the afflicted part oron the application is readily secured and retained throughout anyrequired treatment period. In practice it is found that a wrapping orbandage produced by the process of this invention may be stretched tosix times its length and still retain a high degree of elasticity duringnormal treatment periods. This characteristic enables the article not 2only to be employed as an ordinary surgical wrapping or bandage, butalso to be employed as a tourniquet without danger .of rupturing theskin and where a high degree of. tension must be maintained in order soto constrict a member of the body as toprevent the flow of bloodtherethrough.

The characteristic of sufficient porosity to permit the passage of airthrough the wrapping or bandage is an important one.

The pure crude rubber employed, especially in the preferable crped form,possesses this characteristic to an appreciable degree and thischaracteristic is enhanced by the treatment given and still further bythe extension of the article when applied in use. The

article therefore afiords the skin an opportunity to breathe and hencedoes not draw whenapplied, all of which is highly desirable in such anarticle. In fact, this article presents a wrapping or bandage havingpractically" the same characteristics as a layer of human skin with itsminute pores. The characteristic of tenacious cohesion when pressedtogether is highly important. While the surfaces of freshly cut cruderubber cohere when pressed together, this characteristic, as the resultof the process of this invention, is materially augmented with theresult that the cohesion is a tenacious one and sufiicient to hold thewrapping or bandage in position under the tension imposed by greatextensibility and without the aid of any additional appliances. The endportions of the wrapping or bandage may be overlapped andpressedtogether, or the ends may be upturned and pressed together and thentrimmed ofi' flush, or in many cases the ends may be abutted and pressedtogether, in each case producing a sealed joint or seam and, in thelatter cases particularly, a joint or seam without any material ridge.In I its preferred form the condition is such that when the surfaces arepressed together and maintained at body temperature, a practicallyinseparable cohesiontakes place. Thus the article is distinguished fromthe surgical Wrappings and bandages in common use where additionalappliances such as'adhesive tape or other special securing and fasteningdevices are required. This also enables the bandage readily to be madeinto special unitary self-contained articles, such, for example, asfinger cots. v

The characteristic of sterility must essentially be somewhat relative.But the article produced by the process of this invention is soconstructed and treated as to have a very high degree of sterilityenabling it, if applied directly from the original package, to be usedwith the same degree of safety as packaged sterile bandages anddressings are now used,

The invention therefore presents a novel process for producing anarticle presenting the characteristics hereinbefore set forth.

The essential features of the process reside in properly correlating thetemperature of the application of heat to the sheet or strip of cruderubber, the time period of the application of this heat, and thethickness or penetrability to heat of the rubber. With thin crpedrubbersuch as the ordinary thin pale crepe of commerce in separated form, ifthe sheet or strip be subjected to hot air, it is found that the mostsatisfactory results are obtained at a temperature of 212 F. for aperiod of about thirty minutes, although satisfactory results have beenobtained at this temperature for a period of about ten minutes. Quitesatisfactory results are also obtained at a temperature as low as 150 F.if the period is at least thirty minutes. The heat may also be conducteddirectly to the rubber from a hot surface where the conditions aresomewhat similar to the dry heat treatment. If the rubber be immersed inWater, satisfactory results are obtained ata temperature as low as 150F. for a period of thirty minutes and at higher temperatures the periodmay be reduced. If the water be maintained at the boiling point, aperiod as low as a minute or two produces satlsfactory results, whileprolonged boiling is not so satisfactory. The best results are securedif the rubber be subjected to steam at substantially 212 F. or under theconditions such as obtain in an ordinary surgeons instrument sterilizingoutfit. In this case the characteristics are developed in a very shortperiod of time, good results being obtained in five minutes, but as theordinary practice of sterilization requires the subjection of thearticle to be sterilized to about 212 F. in the presence of moisture forthirty minutes, it is desirable to maintain the rubber subject to thesteam for that period and highly satisfactory results are developedunder these conditions. This data will be sufiicient to enable thedesired treatment to be efiected. When the desired qualities have beensecured in the rubber, further prolonged treatment tends to destroy thedesired qualities and if carried too far will result in ruining theproduct. When the rubber is treated in the roll form or in the ackage, asuitableincrease in time must be allowed to enable the heat thoroughlyto penetrate the mass.

This treatment of the sheet or strip ofcrude rubber by correlating thetemperature of the applied heat, the perlod of time during which it isapplied, and the thickness or character of the rubber effects what isknown as a partial depolymerization of the rubber, or, in other words,controls the degree of'depolymerization to retain the requiredcharacteristic of non-adherenceto hair or skin, and to develop therequired characteristics of great elastic extensibility, sufiicientporosity to permit the passage of air therethrough, and tenaciouscohesion when pressed -together, as well as sterility when required,without developing the adhesive or sticky characteristics which furtherdepolymerization would produce and which would render the rubber unfitfor the desired use.

If a number of sheets or strips are treated together, soapmay beemployed to prevent thesheets from coheringiand, when this is done, thesheets when removed from the bath of water or steam are placed inasecond bath ofclean water maintained at about the boil-' ing point andin and by which the soap is removed. If it is desired further to treator medicate the sheets or strips, they may be passed from the secondbath to a third bath containing a. liquid solution of the desiredmedicating ingredient, such, for example, as glycerin or eucalyptol. Theuse of gylcerin has the further beneficial advantage that the wrappingor bandage may be used in a cold climate or its characteristicsmaintained where the temperature goes below freezing because theglycerin acts to maintain the article soft an pliable and enables it tobe applied without preheating.

the strip should be left uncoated so as to enable the ends to be pressedtogether and tocohere when the strip is applied in use.

Under ordinary circumstances, however, the

interposed strips or layers of fabric are employed. This fabric may beof paper, cloth or other suitable material, but is preferably of thenature of a gauze fabric commonly employed for surgical dressings.

The wrapping or bandage is preferablyfurnished in roll form comprising astrip of the fabric and a strip of the rubber rolled upso that thefabric serves'to prevent the layers of rubber from cohering, so that thefabric covers the entire roll, and so that the fabric itself may beseparately used as a direct application or for other purposes. In themost desirable form the entire package or roll is rendered sterile. Thisenables the fabric to be-used as an application applied directly to thewound, for example, and then the rubber strip to be applied thereoverand secured by cohesion in place on the afiiicted part.

When the article is furnished in roll form, the entire treatment may beconveniently effected after the roll has been placed and enclosed in awrapping of paper or similar material within which it is to be marketed.The roll thus wrapped, for example, may be placed in the steam bath andmaintained therein at the required temperature for the required time, ashereinbefore pointed out.

Thiseliminates any handling or contamination of the roll of fabric andrubber during its final packaging and its subsequent distribution.

If further sterilization is required when the article is applied'to itsuse, it'may be effected in the same manner as surgeons instrumentsanddressings are sterilized.

It is usually desirable that the article shall be as light in color aspossible and bleaching may beefi'ected by raising the temperature orprolonging. the time of the heat treatment provided depolymerization iskept within the limits required to'maintain the desired characteristics.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new,'and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is: V

1. The method of producing a wrapping,

dressing, or other article described which consists in heating a sheetor strip of pure crude rubber and in correlating the temperature of theheat applied, .the time period of the heat application, and thethickness or penetrability to heat of said sheet or strip to develop insaid sheet or strip the characteristics of great elastic extensibilityand tenacious cohesion when pressed together and to insure the highlyretentive possession by said sheet or strip of the characteristics ofnon-adherence to hair or skin, great elastic extensibility and tenaciouscohesion when pressed together.

2. The method of producing a wrapping, dressing, or other articledescribed which con sists in heatinga sheet or strip of pure cruderubber and in correlating the temperature of the heat applied, the timeperiod of the heat application, and the thickness or penetrability toheat of said sheet or strip to effect such a partial depolymerization ofthe rubber of said sheet or strip as to develop therein thecharacteristics of great elastic extensibility and tenacious cohesionwhen pressed together and as to insure the highly retentive possessionthereby of the characteristics of non-adherence to hair or skin, greatelastic extensibility and tenacious cohesion when pressed together.

3. The method of producing a wrapping, dressing, or other articledescribed which consists in heating a sheet or strip of pure thin palecrepe rubber in the presence of moisture at substantially 212 F. forabout thirty minutes to develop in said sheet or strip thecharacteristics of great elastic extensibility and tenacious cohesionwhen pressed together, to enhance the porosity of said sheet or strip,to render the same sterile, and to insure the highly retentivepossession by .said sheet or strip of the characteristics ofnon-adherence to hair orskin, great elastic extensibility, tenaciouscohesion when pressed together, and porosity.

4. The method of producing wrappings, dressings, or other articlesdescribed which consists in heating a plurality of sheets or strips ofpure crude rubber in water containing soap in solution, in correlatingthe temperature of the heat applied, the time period of the heatapplication and the thick-- ness or penetrability to heat of said sheetsor strips to develop in said sheets or strips the characteristics ofgreat elastic extensibility and tenacious cohesion when pressed togetherand to insure the highly retentive possession by said sheets or stripsof the characteristics of non-adherence to hair or skin, great elasticextensibility, and tenacious cohesion when pressed together, and inthereafter washing the sheets or strips to remove the soap.

5. The method of producing wrappings, dressings, or other articlesdescribed as defined in claim 4, together with the additional step ofimmersing the washed sheets or strips in a liquid medicated bath.

6. The method of producing wrappings, dressings, or other articlesdescribed as de fined inclaim 4, together with the additional step ofimmersing the washed sheets or strips in a bath of water and glycerin tosecure the retention at lowtemperatures of the 'developedcharacteristics.

7. The method of producing a wrapping, dressing,or other articledescribed which consists in heating a sheet or strip of pure cruderubber and in correlating the temperature of the heat applied, the timeperiod of the heat application, and the thickness or penetrability toheatoIt said sheet orstrip to efi'ect such a partial depolymerization ofthe rubber of said sheet or strip as to develop therein thecharacteristics of great elastic extensibility and tenacious cohesionwhen pressed together, to effect the bleaching of the rubber, and toinsure the highly retentive possession by said sheet or strip of thecharacteristics of non-adherence to hair or skin, great elasticextensibility, and "tenacious cohesion when pressed together.

8. The method of producing a wrapping, dressing, or other articledescribed which consists in heating a sheet or strip of pure cruderubber and in correlating the temperature of the heat applied, the timeperiod of the heat application, and the thickness or penetrability toheat of said sheet or strip to effect such a partial depolymerization ofthe rubber of said sheet or strip as to develop therein thecharacteristics of great elastic extensibility and tenacious cohesionwhen pressed together and as to insure the highly retentive possessionthereby of the said characteristics and of the characteristic ofnonadherence to hair or skin, and in increasing either or both thetemperature of the heat applied and the time period of the heatapplication to effect the bleaching of the rubber and without furtherdepolymerizing the rubber-sufliciently to impair the foregoing developedcharacteristics.

Intestimony whereof, name 'to this specification.

SAMUEL ROSENBLATT.

I have signed my

